1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of desktop document handling equipment. More specifically, this invention relates to an automatic paper ejector and stacking device for use with vertically-loaded desktop hole-punching equipment.
2. Related Art
The commercial printing industry, large offices and other business entities often require the use of desktop paper-handling equipment. The benefits of automating paper-handling tasks such as punching, sorting and binding are well known. Automation not only simplifies these paper-handling processes but also improves efficiency and lowers costs via reduction or elimination of operator requirements. Consequently, numerous automatic paper-handling devices have been developed.
Paper stacking machines are known in the printing industry. U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,450 (Antinora) teaches a sheet stacking apparatus wherein a rotating disk receives sheets of printed media. After the disk receives at least two sheets of printed media, a controller rotates the disk to or past a sheet stacking position and the printed materials are stacked accordingly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,874 (DiBlasio) discloses a stacker for handling and counting documents wherein a slotted stacker wheel assembly at the bottom of a media transfer path receives documents from the media transfer path and delivers the documents to a stacker tray substantially beneath the input tray.
Renz America Corporation (Agawam, Mass.) has produced an electric high output tabletop punch machine for professional and office use. The punching machine includes mechanisms for punching, ejecting and stacking paper of various sizes. Paper is manually fed into a vertical punching assembly by an operator. After holes are punched, an ejector mechanism clears the sheets of paper from the punching assembly by displacing the vertically-oriented sheets horizontally from the punching area to a position above the stacking area. Paper ejected from the punching area is then momentarily suspended above the stacking area in a shallow groove upon a shaft. The weight of the paper causes the punched sheets to fall into a stacking bin at the rear of the machine (opposite the operator).
Still, there is a need for an automatic paper ejecting and stacking machine for office and professional use that may be adapted for use with commercially available punching equipment to increase operational efficiency and productivity.